Low-income seniors at Murdoch Manor feel right at home in the East Village

Getting an apartment at Murdoch Manor is like winning the lottery,” says George Webber. “Residents are guaranteed their own private room for life.”

For Webber, a photographer who has chronicled the demise of East Village icons like the Cecil Hotel, the St. Louis Hotel and the King Eddy, discovering Murdoch Manor was also a stroke of good luck, one that gave him a new vantage point for surveying the fast-changing neighbourhood. “It’s a somewhat anonymous building,” says the photographer. “Its ‘invisible presence’ contrasts with the dramatic shapes, beautiful facades and architectural details of the National Music Centre and the Central Library going up nearby.”

The residents of Murdoch Manor, low-income seniors, are also something of an “invisible presence” in the city. As such, it’s easy to look at Webber’s stark photographs and assume those pictured are sad people who live in isolation. But, as Webber discovered, the opposite is true. “For some, it is the first time they’ve had a clean, secure, safe, stable place to call their own,” he says.

Built in 1973 by the provincial government, Murdoch Manor is an independent-living facility where rent is fixed at 30 per cent of residents’ monthly income. (Most tenants pay about $400 a month.) The 16-storey building has 300 bachelor and 61 one-bedroom apartments. Each has a full kitchen and bathroom, and “many have jaw-dropping views of downtown, the river valley, mountains or Stampede Park,” Webber says.

The building and nearby Geo C. King Tower were taken over by Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta in the mid-1980s. Today, the not-for-profit agency manages 10 buildings with over 1,200 apartments for low-income seniors. There is also a full-time social worker on site, and the Alex Seniors Health Centre is just steps away in King Tower. Trinity Place has also partnered with Bow Valley College to rent some bachelor apartments to students, who, in return for subsidized rent, offer five hours of volunteer work a month.

Residents have access to a sunroom, games lounge, library and a 150-seat auditorium, which hosts regular music and other programs. Its active social club organizes many events, including a popular weekend community breakfast that is open to the public.

It is at these breakfasts that Webber has been able to meet and photograph some of the residents. “I’ve been chipping away at this for three years or so,” he says. “It’s the sort of thing where I have to be in the right mindset—you’ve got to get up early on a Sunday morning and be in the mood to chat with strangers.”

Befriending strangers is integral to Webber’s work. He is upfront in his approach—introducing himself, explaining his past East Village projects (which include documenting the last days of the St. Louis Hotel and the King Eddy), and then sharing with individuals why he wants to take their portrait and how they will be portrayed.

Obviously, it is easier for Webber to approach men. This explains why they are the subjects of most of the photographs, despite the roughly equal gender divide among the tenants. Then, too, there is another fact about men that lends itself to Webber’s project. “It’s the guys who tend to congregate more—to sit around together after breakfast and chat,” he says. For a photographer who likes to pull up a chair before pulling out his camera, it’s an ideal situation. ­

Murdoch Manor (named after Calgaryâs first mayor, George Murdoch), which sits on the extreme southeast corner of the East Village, has benefitted from the areaâs revitalization. There were early fears that new upscale development would alienate the seniors; the reality is that they love their revitalized neighbourhood with its wider sidewalks and curb ramps, which make it easier for those who use walkers or wheelchairs to get around.George Webber /
Swerve

Michael Simpson contemplates the scene outside his apartment. Many residents have impressive views of downtown or the mountains.George Webber /
Swerve

Jim Yurkiewicz in the games room.George Webber /
Swerve

While some might see Murdoch Manorâs apartments as too smallâmost are around 400 square feetâthey suit residents like Doug Edwards just fine. In fact, they are somewhat on trend; in Calgary, many are paying big bucks for small condos in the city centre.George Webber /
Swerve

On the Sunday he met Webber, Gary Hoskins was looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses.George Webber /
Swerve

Webberâs shot of Isabel Wallace shows his fondness for creating a visual dialogue between people and their possessions.George Webber /
Swerve

While some might see Murdoch Manorâs apartments as too smallâmost are around 400 square feetâthey suit residents like Doug Edwards just fine. In fact, they are somewhat on trend; in Calgary, many are paying big bucks for small condos in the city centre.George Webber /
Swerve

A lone resident, left, watches the football game. Itâs something of an aberration at Murdoch Manor, which, according to Lawrence Braul of Trinity Place Foundation, has the most active social club of any of the 10 buildings the non-profit manages. âIâd even hazard a guess that it is the most active of any low-income seniors building in Alberta,â he adds.George Webber /
Swerve

Murdoch Manor (named after Calgaryâs first mayor, George Murdoch), which sits on the extreme southeast corner of the East Village, has benefitted from the areaâs revitalization. There were early fears that new upscale development would alienate the seniors; the reality is that they love their revitalized neighbourhood with its wider sidewalks and curb ramps, which make it easier for those who use walkers or wheelchairs to get around.George Webber /
Swerve

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

When the Kirkland family, who lived in a townhome in southwest Airdrie, decided they were ready for a home with a private yard and more square footage, their boxes of belongings didn’t need to travel far.